Superjet stretch still years away: Sukhoi

Sukhoi ‘s civil aircraft division is playing down the likelihood of near-term emergence for a stretched Superjet, although the proposal remains under examination.

It says that a Superjet featuring “increased passenger capacity” is “running through the project definition study”.

But it indicates that there is no pressure to develop the aircraft.

“The first prototype might be presented to the market in a few years,” it says.

It has not stated the probable accommodation of such an aircraft and has not indicated whether the stretch would be an intermediate enhancement or a significant modification to create a much larger jet.

Russian authorities have previously pointed to potential demand for a 130-seat aircraft to address a capacity gap between the 98-seat Superjet 100 and the 150-seat Irkut MC-21.